Society. Spaces. Screens

Abstract

The ongoing physical and ideological destruction of Britain’s Brutalist legacy erases any trace of the utopian ambitions imbued within the fabric of such buildings. In an era increasingly defined by post-progressive politics and ideological austerity, I argue that a willingness to speculate on radical alternatives to the way we preserve Brutalism is needed now more than ever if we are to resist what the collective Laboria Cuboniks (2015) refers to as “these puritanical politics of shame—which fetishise oppression as if it were a blessing”. Art historical practices typically regard Brutalism as an architectural vernacular; however, this approach fails to acknowledge that Brutalism was originally conceived of as a methodology (Highmore, 2017). As a result, there exists a gap in knowledge in the way contemporary documentary practices – applied as a performative action – can engage with sites such as the Birmingham Central Library, not as relics of the past but as speculative devices for the future. By re-appropriating web-based platforms and technologies, this presentation/performance offers an alternative documentary vocabulary, exploring how the archaeological possibilities of cyberspace allow us to re-imagine our relationship to sites that have been lost or forgotten and questioning how the distortion and dislocation of Brutalism, experienced via these new technologies, impacts our ability to speculate on the possibilities for re-radicalising spatial practice and revealing a multi-temporal experience of place. The presentation/performance focuses around three phases of production (Phase 1: Deconstruction, Phase 2: Haunting and Phase 3: Reconstruction), drawing on projects completed during the course of this research including Conc(re)te for the REFORM Design Biennale, Common Ground at the New Art Gallery Walsall and By The City for Plan8t as part of a residency in Changsha, China.